The Church Of Dudeism (& The Take It Easy Manifesto)

Dudeism is the religion of the modern ages, one that believes you should take it easy, abide and be true to yourself and others. Whether you’re a guy or gal, you too can be a dude. Life is short and complicated, some of us aren’t sure what to do about it. But that’s okay because you don’t have to worry about it if you’re part of ” The Church of the Latter-Day Dude”. The religion is about being laid back and remaining calm when dealing with the pressures of society. Don’t like it? Well, that’s just like, your opinion, man.

The dude

Dudeism is influenced by the 1998 film “The Big Lebowski”. Jeff Bridges, also known as “the Dude”, is a hilarious and pot-smoking man that’s in his 40’s. He enjoys bowling with friends, driving around, and the occasional acid flashback. There’s much more to this man than his lazy lifestyle, though. He is an idol in the eyes of “The Church of the Latter-Day Dude”.

The Dude is true to himself, which is what Dudeism promotes. He doesn’t fall to the pressures of society and isn’t concerned about his “status” or his so called lack of accomplishments. Best of all, he enjoys the simplicities of life. Oliver Benjamin, the religion’s Dudley Llama, believes everyone can potentially identify with aspects of the movie, regardless if they approve of the Dude’s lazy lifestyle.

“The Dude is an extreme case, but he provides an ideal which can help you to bring a little more “dude” into your life, without giving up the rat race entirely”.

According to Benjamin, “The Big Lebowski” is a modern form of Taoism, a religion that is perhaps the most philosophical of them all. Aside from the fact that the movie is about an ex-hippie living in Los Angeles that’s trying to solve a kidnapping case, Benjamin says it’s really about learning how to deal with life and all its complications. Most importantly, it teaches you how to keep the peace in a world gone mad, he says.

Often, people see “the Dude” as just some lazy stoner, but Benjamin says nothing could be further from the truth. He insists that he is an intellectual with strong moral character and a lively, creative mind.

“He’s also a stoner, but that’s not a bad thing. Too many people confuse Dudeism with anarchism or selfish laziness. Dudeism recognizes the need for organization and rules, and the laziness it touts is disciplined and determined”.

Is it a real religion?

Though Dudeism uses a lot of humor and doesn’t seem to take much of anything seriously, they are serious in their belief. They consider Dudeism to be “The religion for its time and place”, and they’re as serious as anyone else would be when it comes to their beliefs. One of the main principles of the religion is that everything “Is, just, like, your opinion, man”, meaning that everything is up for discussion.

Unlike other religions, Dudeism is open for suggestions, making it an “Open source religion”. They like to hear what people think a “Dude” is and what he/she should be. They also don’t believe in rituals and have no moral rules. However, they do believe in participating in things that brings them all together, like bowling and driving around.

Despite the fact that the religion is slow-moving, they have over 250,000 Ordained priests that are committed to their organization. Anyone can become a “Dudeist”, it’s fun and easy to do, plus it’s free! Every day they receive emails from people saying that Dudeism “Changed their life”.

“In short, Dudeism is an open-source attempt to remake religion that sits with modern times, that is based on rationality, and that doesn’t just end up becoming a big business and source of division”.

Even though Dudeists don’t have thousands of years worth of tradition, they do share spiritual insights supported by many great Dudes throughout the ages. Dudeism continues to evolve by providing a religion that lacks a bunch of strict rules and instead promotes easy living.

Do you think Dudeism is a real religion? Will you be joining? Let us know on social media or in the comments section below.